The myth of the immigrant tiny red dot nation

1Hazrul Azhar Jamari • 8th Sep 2010 • My Notes, Life, My Notes, My Notes, Others • foreigners, History, immigrant nation, malaya, Malaysia, new paper, paik choo, Singapore, sylvia toh, the online citizen, toc, urban myth

I had posted a comment on one of The Online Citizen (TOC)’s Facebook links regarding a New Paper article by veteran journalist, Sylvia Toh Paik Choo, and perhaps my words struck a chord with many of TOC’s readers. I did not expect such strong support for what I had to say and perhaps, it was the most Likes I’ve earned from fellow netizens. So I decided to re-post this on my blog for the benefit of all Singaporeans whom I hope can now better frame their heritage in the proper context. I would like to point my readers to this article (Google Translated from Malay to English), this article and this video, for a better perspective of how I draw my arguments. As a continuing student of local history, I’m amazed how much information we Singaporeans don’t really know about Singapore. So I hope, I’ve contributed somewhat to a more enlightened Singapore society.

Sylvia. You forget that when you migrated to Singapore from Penang 60 years ago, we weren’t yet another country. I’m sorry but Singapore was still considered a part of Malaya. Penang was still a Straits Settlement and so was Singapore. The governor, my dear, was still the same white man.

So your argument that you were an immigrant is complete moot. None of us were immigrants. If you were born in Malaya before 1965, anywhere in Malaya, you were local born.

I remember another young man born in Penang and migrated to Singapore. His name is legendary in these parts. Have you heard of P. Ramlee who became Malaya’s silver screen hero in the 50s? I’m sure you know that P. Ramlee made a living in Singapore. Did you forget that Singapore was the center of Malaya’s movie making industry? Front and center, Singapore was the poster boy of a new, independent Malaya.

So when August 9, 1965 came, did we all suddenly become immigrants? Sylvia my dear, we were always local born. It’s our bloody text books that sold us this idea that Singaporeans were made up of immigrants.

Now, I have no problem with foreigners. But please don’t make me a foreigner in my own country. I’m a 3rd generation Singaporean. But my grandparents who called this place home came from Johor and Java. They never saw this place as a foreign land. Indonesia didn’t even exist before 1945. There was freedom of movement. Malayans from Johor joined Malayans in Singapore. And fellow friends from across the Malay archipelago in Riau, Sumatra and Java joined us too. Did they see Singapore as another country and therefore considered themselves immigrant? No. We lived in colonial times. There was no such thing as borders.

Immigrant nation? Nope. Not Singapore. Not even Chinese and Indians born anywhere in Malaya. That includes you Sylvia.